Decerebrate Rigidity in Forelegs After Deafferentation and Spinal Transection in Dogs With Chronic Lesions in Different Parts of the Cerebellum

Abstract

In adult dogs small lesions were placed in one part or another of the cortex, or nuclei or peduncles of the cerebellum. After decerebration, performed 4-10 weeks later, the rigidity was less than normal on the side of the fastigial nucleus lesion; greater than normal on the side of the dentate nucleus lesion. The rigidity of the forelegs, abolished by section of the posterior roots C4-T2, reappeared following postbrachial (XI thor. level) section of the cord, whenever the lesion had spared the culmen, the lobulus centralis, the rostral part of the fastiagial nucleus and the medial aspect of the inferior cere-bellar peduncle. But when the lesion had involved one or another of these parts, the result was the same as described by Stella (1947) after chronic removal of the whole (or hemi-) cerebellum: the deafferented forelegs (the homolateral one in case of unilateral lesion) remained flaccid in spite of cord transection.